ARNOLD, Mo. — The Jefferson County Health Department was finally able to make a dent on it's vaccine registry list Monday. The mass vaccination clinic comes just days after telling 1,900 people they didn't have legitimate appointments.
"We had the private link that was posted on a public site, so we had to do a little backtracking there," Brianne Zwinner with the Jefferson County Health Department tells 5 On Your Side, "We had to call folks to reassure who has appointments, let people know who didn't."
Between appointment issues and supply problems, Jefferson County has struggled to vaccinate residents. County Executive Dennis Gannon has brought the matter directly to the Governor's office.
"We've been received well with the Governor's office, we've actually talked directly with the Governor," he said.
Gannon is asking two things from the state of Missouri.
"The first requirement I hope for is a steady flow," Gannon said, "then a flow of vaccine that we can consistently give to the people of Jefferson County to get caught up."
Despite both retail clinics and health department vaccination efforts, Jefferson County is lagging behind the rest of Missouri. According to Missouri's COVID-19 Dashboard, 8.2% of Jefferson County residents have received at least 1 dose of the vaccine and 4.5% are fully vaccinated. Statewide, 13.8% of residents have received at least one dose and 7.1% are fully vaccinated.
The first week of March begins a swift effort to bring the numbers up. 2400 doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine will be dispensed.
With most mass vaccination events there are extra doses, but the Jefferson County Health Department has a plan for any extras they may have. "We do have a process that we use," Zwinner said. "I have an overflow list that we contact folks and say hey we've got extra doses we need you here in 30 minutes can you be here."
The overflow list is prioritized by previous canceled or missed appointments and then by Missouri's COVID-19 vaccination phase and tier level.
Jefferson County has plans for more mass vaccination events like the Arnold clinic, but they also have plans to reach out to some of their more rural communities.
Zwinner says the Jefferson County Health Department is looking for opportunities like drive-thru clinics, mobile vaccinations and pop-up sites.
Currently, there are no formal plans for alternative vaccination clinics in Jefferson County. The health department is waiting for more consistent deliveries. A more dependable and steady supply will allow the department to schedule new events.